To the coaches, the CrossFit Open is just as much fun as the annual Holiday Party – only with more working out and less alcohol – but we look forward to them equally! If you enjoyed the Holiday Party, you’ll definitely enjoy the CrossFit Open!

Coaches Series: Why I’m Doing the CrossFit Open.

We are pleased to present to you a one week series of posts from the coaches at Roots. The topic: Why I’m Doing the CrossFit Open.

We all participate in the Open for different reasons. Each year the Open might mean something different to us depending where we are in life, family, and training – but one thing remains the same for all of us – The Open will always be a part of our lives.

First up, coach Ali.

Why I’m Doing the Open: Ali.

I’m doing the Open because it has become tradition for me. In 2011, I did my first CrossFit Games Open. I had only been CrossFitting for about 6 months but my friends at my old gym convinced me to do it and we had almost everyone at our relatively new gym sign up. I had no idea what to expect – What skills would I see? How heavy? What is it like to compete for so many weeks in a row? But it ended up being SUPER fun!

Even though some of the weights were heavy (110 lb squat clean and jerks! I had never done that weight before! 30 reps of 90lb OHS, were they crazy?!) and some of the skills I couldn’t do (muscle ups!) it was still so much fun to throw down with our entire gym and others from the community every week. People hit new PRs every workout. We ended up qualifying a team for Regionals and placed 4th.

I did the open last year as one of my first competitions in a new region and to represent and support CrossFit Roots. I wanted to see how I compared to last year and to all my friends at CrossFit Southie. I was still nervous (100 lb snatches?! That was my max! 90 double unders AFTER 150 wallballs?!), but every Thursday I did the workouts alongside my fellow Roots and surprised myself at what I could do.

This year, my reasons are: #1) FUN #2) to support all my fellow Roots teammates (that’s ALL of you!) in their quest to push their comfort zone #3) to help Roots qualify a team to Regionals #4) to see how far I can push myself

Honestly, the nerves never go away (What if they bump up the weights even more and I can’t do it very well? What if I don’t get any muscle ups for the third year? When will the WOD with box jumps come up?) – but that’s what makes it fun, exciting and challenging!